Dreaming
by ChocoTea
Summary: The title doesn't fit the story, but I needed one. Xover wInuyasha. Kagome is chased by a youkai and just narrowly escapes into the well, but it takes her to Makai instead of her era! While she's there, she meets up with a certain kitsune, but what will h
1. Guy troubles and meeting herself

Agh! My first ever fanfic! And it's in answer a challenge fic from Naitome. Just to let you guys know, this is a bit slow moving in the first chapter, and I make Kagome seem like somewhat of an idiot in this chapter, but I know she's not and I tried not to! Please don't hurt me! I promise I'll try to set a good pace in chapter 2 though. Well, there ya go…onwards!

Legend: '_thoughts'  
_"talking"

Disclaimer: YYH and IY belong to umm….the dude who made YYH and Rumiko Takahashi respectively. Not to me (I wish).

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Chapter 1(**Guy Troubles and Meeting Herself**)

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As she ran, she started to regret turning down Kaede-baba's training offer. Especially since it would be helpful to outrun the 10 foot tall very large bear youkai that was currently, after her blood. Literally. '_The well isn't too far away from here.' _Kagome estimated._ 'I can make it!' _She thought as she continued running through the dense foliage, hoping to lose her pursuer.

"AGH! Get back here! Damn wench!" The bear youkai roared as it continued its relentless pursuit.

"Keep running keep running, just a little further!" Kagome encouraged herself. _'Since I can't count on Inuyasha to help me anymore, I guess I'm on my own."_ Kagome thought sadly as she continued running.

**Flashback**

"Inuyasha! I'm ba-"Kagome stopped suddenly as she heard something moving nearby. She walked slowly through the trees, silently as she crept up on whatever 'it' was that had attracted her attention. When she saw what 'it' was, she let out a small gasp. Inuyasha…with Kikyou!

"—kill that girl for me, won't you Inuyasha? I can be alive again once that girl is dead." Kikyou said as she kissed Inuyasha passionately. (A/N: ewwww!)

"You know I'd do anything to give you your life back. I promised I'd always be with you, Kikyou." As Inuyasha said this, Kagome felt her heart shatter like the Shikon no Tama once had.

'_I'm sorry Kagome. I love you too, but I promised Kikyou I'd be with her long before you even came along. Forgive me.'_ Inuyasha thought sadly. He looked down at Kikyou, a peaceful look on her face. She looked up and smiled. He smiled back at her.

Kagome turned and went to the village to meet her friends, and tell them she was leaving and wouldn't be back for a while. Everyone made a fuss at this, especially Shippou, who didn't want his surrogate mother to leave him.

"Kagome! Take me with you! Please!" He wailed.

"Shippou, I can't. But I promise I'll come back for you soon, okay?" She replied consolingly.

He sniffed. "Okay."

Kagome smiled sadly, and turned to leave. When she was about halfway through, she felt something following her. She started to walk faster, and as soon as she heard a crash in the nearby trees, broke into an all-out sprint for the well. Another crash or two and a good long sprint or so later, she saw what had been following her. It was the bear youkai. And it had a look on its face that no girl wants to see on a male youkai's face while they're out in the woods alone. So, she did the first thing that came to mind. Ran for her life.

**End Flashback**

And so, we pick up where we last left Kagome, twice. Running for dear life and the Bone Eater's Well.

'_Uhn. Cant' go much further!'_ Kagome groaned. Then the well came into sight. "Thank Kami!" Kagome cried as she vaulted over the brim and into the well.

She heard the youkai howl in rage at having lost its prey, and relaxed as a warm blue aura surrounded her, transporting her away. Exhausted from the chase, her eyelids began to droop, and she was aware of an unusual yet pleasant, faint, tingling sensation as she fell asleep.

**about 30 min. later**

Kagome woke from slumber to find her tail waving back an--. Wait. Tail? Kagome did a double take as she stared at the foreign body part. Since when did she, a HUMAN MIKO, have a tail? Further examining herself, she noticed she had claws and as she soon learned very painfully, sharp fangs. Trying to stay calm, she took in her surroundings as she noticed something else: this wasn't the well house at her Sunset Shrine. Heck, she wasn't even in a WELL.

Kagome looked around for any sign of immediate danger. Sensing none, she continued to absorb her surroundings. She seemed to have been lying on a fallen tree in a beautiful forest. Not so far off, she spotted a clear, crystal lake, with a waterfall running into it. Deciding to then further investigate the reason for the furry tail now firmly attached to her backside, she walked over to the lake, kneeled, and looked at her reflection.

What she saw just about made her loose consciousness again.

Her already raven hair was now so dark, it looked more blue than black. Her sapphire blue eye color had been intensified and had slitted pupils. Her shape had filled out a bit more too, making her look less childish and more like a woman. Lastly, she noticed the pair of fuzzy black ears on her head that twitched comically when she touched them. She blinked and decided to find a village…or town. Whichever this place had. With this in mind, she got up and started walking in what she thought might be the right direction.

**Later**

"Ugh. Man I'm tired. How long does it take to find a friggin' town!" Kagome groaned as she walked on. She had walked for what seemed like hours now, and she was hungry and dirty. As she looked to check the sun's position, she saw something under it. When she looked closer, she saw what looked to be a town. Brightening at this and the prospect of some clean clothes and food, she headed towards the town with a renewed spirit.

When she arrived, she found that the town did have humans, but…it also had demons too. More demons then humans actually, but seeing as how they managed to live together without tearing eachother apart, she shrugged this off.

The first thing she did was head to the clothing stalls that were set up along the streets a little ways off. Sure she was hungry, but she really couldn't go eat in her filthy school uniform. She was already attracting odd stares from the people around her.

She finally found a clothing stall that she thought might help her blend in, so she went in. She looked around and found something she liked. It was a baggy white shirt with a Chinese-style knee length dress with slits up the thighs that went over it, and tight black shorts that went on underneath. The dress was black and had silver ripple designs near the hem.

"You have good taste. That outfit would look great on you." said a voice from behind her. Kagome spun around to see a kind looking man smiling at her.

"Um, thank you. How much is this?" Kagome asked.

"Well, normally, that set costs 35 gold..." the man trailed off looking at her school uniform oddly.

Kagome's eyes widened "I can't pay that."

"Hmm. I figured as much." He frowned. "You don't seem to be from here, are you?" he asked. He brightened. "Well, in any case, I like you, so I'll give it to you. Free of charge." He smiled again.

Kagome stared for a second. "You-you're giving this to me?"

The shopkeeper nodded. " Yup. Besides, today's the Solstice Festival!" Catching Kagome's confused look, he elaborated "We celebrate this twice a year for summer and winter solstice. It's just a normal holiday really. We set out free food in the town square by all the guilds and it's a night of fun and dancing. That's pretty much it."

'_If I wait until the festival, then I can get a free meal without having to worry about paying!_' Kagome asked, "Well, is there somewhere I can change into this then? I'd like to get out of this…" Kagome asked as she gestured towards her dirty sailor uniform.

The shopkeeper nodded and motioned for her to follow him and directed her to a changing room in the back. When she came out, she said her thanks to the shopkeeper, exchanged a few more words, and departed. She stepped outside and noticed that the sun had started to drop, so while she waited for the festival to start, she decided to explore. She wandered towards the town square where the festival was supposed to be held later, and decided to check out the guilds the kind shopkeeper had mentioned before, and the tavern for information.

**Meanwhile**

He was bored. He had lost the chimera somewhere in this insufferable crowd, and because of the Solstice Festival coming up this evening, the crowd was larger than normal. If he wasn't used to this by now, he probably would have suffocated.

'_Good thing I'm not claustrophobic_' he thought.

Sighing, he decided to go to the tavern to see if the chimera had thought to go there too. As he made his way to the tavern, he saw none other than the chimera waiting impatiently outside the front doors. Grinning, he approached the chimera, while said chimera looking more pissed than ever, scowled at the fox as the duo went inside.

"Where were you?" The chimera asked.

"I was in the guild square of course." The fox replied. Catching his partner's glare, he hastily said "Hey! You're not blaming ME for this are you? It wasn't my fault!"

"Kurama…"

"Kuronue?" The person now identified as Kurama replied grinning once again.

"sigh you're impossible." Kuronue said shaking his head.

The two found some of their band there at a table near the back, and took their seats not too far off.

Not too soon after, someone entered the bar, and almost everyone in the tavern looked up. Noticing, this, the two thieves looked up in time to see a raven-haired beauty walk in.

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gravityx: It's a cliffy! Um…plz don't kill me b backs away Yes! On another note, I TRIED. It's my first fanfic, and I'm not looking for pity, but constructive criticism if you will.

Please review! No flames though.

**Coming up:**

Kagome and Kurama see eachother for the first time, and our favorite thieves go on a heist! What's this? Kagome gets lost and stumbles upon the thieves' hideout? Looks like trouble for Kagome! Or is it..?


	2. A chance encounter

**dG**: thanks again to all my reviewers! –waves- And everyone who actually took the time to read this too! You've made this authoress happy! –grins- And here are my replies to my reviewers!

**KawaiiSess68**: I feel loved. My first reviewer! Thank you! I'll try to keep writing!

**animewolfgurl:** Thank you! I honestly didn't expect such kind reviewers! Of course, not that I'm complaining.

**Suntiger: **eh…thanks! I think… I'll try to get better and here's the update!

**Crazy Hyper Lady: **Thanks!

**ShadowStar09:** Thanks! Eh…I don't even think I mentioned Kagome being a kitsune! sweatdrop Did I? Wow, you're good! But you'll find out soon!

**Kags: **Ok, I wrote more! Here ya go!

**Bloodcherry: **Thank you! You do seem hyper. Don't worry, I get hyper too! SUGAR! LoL.

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Legend: _'thoughts'_

"talking"

Disclaimer: Why oh why must you torture me so! shakes fist at sky

A/N: This chapter will have a lot of switching POV's I suppose you could call it, until they meet up. Sorry for that…it was necessary.

**Also…shall I introduce my lazy muse? Whaddya think ppl?**

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Chapter 2(**A Chance Encounter--part 1**)

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RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP

"Where were you?" The chimera asked.

"I was in the guild square of course." The fox replied. Catching his partner's glare, he hastily said "Hey! You're not blaming ME for this are you? It wasn't my fault!"

"Kurama…"

"Kuronue?" The person now identified as Kurama replied grinning once again.

"sigh you're impossible." Kuronue said shaking his head.

The two found some of their band there at a table near the back, and took their seats not too far off.

Not too soon after, someone entered the bar, and almost everyone in the tavern looked up. Noticing, this, the two thieves looked up in time to see a raven-haired beauty walk in.

RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP

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Kagome felt stared at. Well, technically speaking, she was. And it made her nervous. But it didn't stop the people from doing it anymore than they were now. It was really starting to get on her nerves too. She decided to find a seat for now and try to get information out of the bartender. All eyes followed her to the bar counter (A/N: is that what that's called?) and she just couldn't take it anymore, unfamiliar place or not. These people were rude!

She turned around and faced the stare-ers…and gave them a taste of their own medicine. She stared back. Hey, they started it first!

At this, they all seemed to snap out of their trance-like state and quickly turned around, though many of them kept stealing glances at her when they thought she wasn't looking.

Kagome sighed. _'Well, it's an improvement from before.'_

**Meanwhile**

Kurama was impressed. That didn't happen very often, so that was saying something.

'_This hanyou girl just stared down a bar full of youkai, some being twice her size. She's either stupid, brave, or both. I wonder which though?'_

"You know, she's not all that bad for a hanyou." voiced Kuronue.

This snapped Kurama out of his thoughts and he shook his head slightly and agreed. He glanced at Kagome to see her chatting with the bartender who seemed thoroughly confused, smirked, and then told Kuronue what he had thought of her just moments before.

"Well, only one way to find out, ne?"

Kurama grinned. "Oh, I suppose."

They turned to where she had been just moments before to see that she had disappeared. The pair looked at eachother, and sweatdropped.

"Er…well, she's fast, isn't she?" Kurama asked. Walking over to the bartender, he asked, "Did that girl that was just here say where she was going?"

The bartender replied "Well, she did mention somethin' about going to the Festival—"

And before he could even finish, the thieves were already out the door.

**Back to Kagome**

'_So, I'm in Makai then? I didn't even know such a place existed. But then, I didn't think much of the Sengoku Jidai when I was back home either…and I STILL have to find out how I turned into a hanyou too!' _As Kagome thought to herself, she didn't notice that two pairs of eyes were following her and trying their best to keep up with her through the thick crowds.

Looking up and noticing that the Festival had already started, she began to make her way to the town square in search of food.

When she reached the square, she began to walk around and explore the stalls, looking for a food she thought might be good or looked familiar. She went around sampling this and that, and when she found something she liked, stopped to make a little snack of it. Afterwards, she went on to another vendor to repeat this process until she had eaten her fill, and then headed off to the center of the square.

As Kurama finally caught sight of her, he began to lead Kuronue through the mass of people swarming the area. As they followed Kagome, Kuronue said,

"Look, Kurama. It looks like she's heading that way."

"Hm?"

Kurama looked where Kuronue was pointing and noticed that Kagome was indeed going to the center square. They moved toward her and saw her watching the dancers and looking around. Kurama looked at Kuronue, grinned, and went off to speak to hanyou beauty walking in front of him while Kuronue, who had experienced this type of thing before, went off to find a good place to watch as the fun began.

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**Okay, I'm sorry I left off at such a bad place and that it's so short. But I just wasn't getting anything, and I didn't want to keep u guys waiting for too long. Notice that this is part 1, so part 2 of this chap will be posted soon. P I'll try my best to update every 2 weeks, but since I also have my deviantart account to manage and joined an oekaki board, I may be a bit late. Thx! DG**


	3. A chance encounter part II

**D.G.: ….Hi? Ahh, thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter! It's very encouraging. **

**And I am extremely sorry for the unexpected(ly) long hiatus…our English teacher is merciless when dealing out projects…she's dealt another one out as we speak x.x**

Legend: "talk"

'_thought'_

disclaimer: well, if I owned these, I wouldn't be writing a FANfic now would I?

Chaptre 3** (A Chance Encounter--part 2)**

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RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP

Kurama looked where Kuronue was pointing and noticed that Kagome was indeed going to the center square. They moved toward her and saw her watching the dancers and looking around. Kurama looked at Kuronue, grinned, and went off to speak to hanyou beauty walking in front of him while Kuronue, who had experienced this type of thing before, went off to find a good place to watch as the fun began.

RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP

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Kuronue decided to seat himself on a nearby shop roof. _'Heh…this ought to be interesting.' _He smirked to himself as he watched his long time partner and friend attempt to hit on the raven-haired hanyou.

Kagome continued to look around her, until a sudden flash of silver caught her eyes.

'_Inuyasha..?' _Was her first thought. Then she got angry at herself. _'No, can't think of that jerk again.' _Then calming, _'Besides, he's too tall, and it certainly can't be Sesshoumaru because of the ears on his head.' _Then she lost herself in thought and forgot all about the silver-haired youkai who had come to stand in front of her.

Kurama came to stand in front of the hanyou woman, but she had taken no notice of him and had a distant glazed look in her eyes, which were focused on the ground before her feet. He looked curiously at her, and finally trying to catch her attention, he cleared his throat.

"May I ask you to dance?" (A/N: cheesy! xDDDD) He asked, offering his hand.

Kuronue chuckled. He watched as Kurama tried to get the girls attention, and clearing his throat when he failed. The girl had looked startled and almost fallen on her rear (and what a nice rear it was...) as she stepped back. Luckily, Kurama had caught her, but then…

Kurama sweatdropped as he saw her almost fall and quickly reached forward to catch her. At the same time, she grabbed for the nearest thing in an attempt to right herself, which was Kurama's extended arm. This only succeeded in unbalancing Kurama too, who had been surprised at her grabbing at him so suddenly, and she fell backwards, while he fell forwards…onto her.

Or he would have. If Kuronue hadn't chosen to grab the back of Kurama's shirt to stop both of them from falling over. Kurama looked over his shoulder and glared at a grinning Kuronue.

After he righted the two younger demons, Kuronue took it upon himself to make his name known. He turned to Kagome and bowed with flourish as he spoke

"I am Kuronue."

Kagome blushed slightly at the gesture. Kuronue grinned, and asked

"And you are?"

At this point, Kurama realized that he didn't know her name either.

"Ah…I'm Kagome…" she replied, somewhat hesitantly.

"A pleasure to have met you, dear Kagome." Kuronue said. He glanced at his partner "And I see you've already met my friend Kurama here? Well then, I'll leave you two then." Turning to Kurama, "I'm heading back to the lair. See you there." and disappeared from sight, only to appear on a nearby rooftop to look over his shoulder to raise a hand in farewell, and flit away again.

After staring irritably at his friend, he turned back to Kagome who was looking back curiously after Kuronue; he examined her features (her facial features) and noticed her eyes were an unusually brilliant shade of blue-gray. He was so engrossed by her eyes that he didn't notice her look back at him.

"Um…"

Kurama was brought out of his thoughts by a hand waving in front of his face and came to. To cover up for his fault, he brought up the most charming smile he could and said to her

"Ah, my apoglogies." He glanced at the moon's position, now nearly at it's peak in the sky and continued "but I'm afraid I must be going. My partner will be waiting for me."

And with that he swept a bow, stepped forward to deliver a swift, chaste kiss to her lips, and fled to the top of a nearby light post, bathed in an ethereal glow by the almost-full moon for a moment, then vanished into the night.

oooooooooooo**omgscenechange**ooooooooooooooooo

'_Partner? Oh that's right…I remember the dark one…Kuronue? saying that they were partners who ran something together…' _thought Kagome as she watched Kurama make his exit.

Shrugging this off, she decided to explore. Feeling quite awake all of a sudden, Kagome made her way through the crowds of people, still as thick as when the festival first started, grabbing a couple of bread loaves from a food stall and tucking them away into a separate compartment in the bag she had received from the shopkeeper who had also given her her new set of clothes. She made her way to the edge of town, and walked on through the forest she had passed straight through earlier, and reentered.

Kagome traced her steps back to the lake she had found earlier, and kneeling at the edge, decided to wash her dirtied school uniform there. Leaving her laundry out on a flat rock for the warm night air to dry, she decided that the water was warm enough to bathe in, and did so.

After drying herself off, she found her uniform had dried for the most part, then packed it away.

' _I wonder what's around here? I don't see anything but forest.' _Upon these thoughts, she began to explore.

-sigh- "Trees, trees, and more trees! And oh wait, bush!" she sighed in frustration as there seemed to be no end to the lovely but tiring greenery. "Isn't there anything else in thi—ahhHHHHH!" Kagome shrieked as she fell through a hole that suddenly appeared out of nowhere under her feet. She slid down through the hole that opened up into a chute to land in a heap on a bed of soft moss.

"Oww..." Kagome winced as she righted herself and tried to figure out where she had landed. "Hope there's nothing in here that eats me. Knowing my luck though, I'm probably not gonna be that lucky."

As she looked around, she found that she was in an underground room, so she made her way to the exit, which had no door. Finding that it opened up into a larger tunnel, and not really wanting to stay where she could be found and eaten, she attempted to find her way out.

After a bit of wandering, and discovering that the place seemed to be deserted (at least for the moment), she began to explore with more enthusiasm. The further she went, the more the halls began to show that someone did indeed live here. Polished wood doors and furniture, fresh flowers in vases delicately arranged. At one point she stepped into a room that seemed to be the storehouse of the place. Raising an eyebrow at this, she left the room and went on to discover a set of larger oaken doors with intricate carvings and throwing all caution to the wind, decided to enter (Apparently, she had once again realized that she was a demon and would stand a fighting chance against something if it were to attack her, especially with her miko powers still in her control).

Kagome, tired from the looooonnng walk that she had taken and from lack of decent sleep in the past few days, opened the doors hoping for a place where she could rest. Instead, she found something else entirely.

Actually, it was a many someone elses entirely. She had walked in on a whole dining room of demons, all who chatting cheerfully with their neighbors, yet had a rather hardened look about them. The realization that they must be thieves dawned upon her, and she tried to back out of the room slowly, but it was too late. She had been spotted, and the band of thieves turned to look at her, some already beginning to rise, and they looked angry. But you know, it was just from her point of view.

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**Avi**: Ok, it looks like this chapter will be 3 parts long. And it's just getting to the best part! (awww!) I'll plug away on the next chapter and hopefully I'll have it up by the end of next week, I'll try my best! We don't have any more projects coming up, so I hope I can post again soon! Once again, sorry for the long delay! –bows- 


	4. A chance encounter part III

**-gasp- I got a 10/10 review! Thank you! It was totally unexpected XD (novice writer other then English essays…) Thank you everyone for reviewing once again! And thanks for the cookie! xD**

**Ok, I'll shut up and get to the story now**

Legend: "talk"

'_thought'_

Chaptre 4 **(A Chance Encounter -- part 3)**

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**RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP**

Kagome, tired from the looooonnng walk that she had taken and from lack of decent sleep in the past few days, opened the doors hoping for a place where she could rest. Instead, she found something else entirely.

Actually, it was a many someone elses entirely. She had walked in on a whole dining room of demons, all who chatting cheerfully with their neighbors, yet had a rather hardened look about them. The realization that they must be thieves dawned upon her, and she tried to back out of the room slowly, but it was too late. She had been spotted, and the band of thieves turned to look at her, some already beginning to rise, and they looked angry. But you know, it was just from her point of view.

**RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP**

* * *

Wide-eyed, Kagome 'eeped', and did the first sensible thing that popped into her head: ran for her life. Ignoring the angry shouts for her to 'get back here!', she ran straight on through the corridors and halls, not looking back to see if her pursuers were catching up. Frankly, she didn't want to know. She just wanted to get the hell outta there.

When she finally screwed up the courage to take a glance back, sure enough, saw that they were hot on her tail. And gaining ground fast. Hearing them yell to eachother to 'get the boss, and quick', Kagome turned to run faster…only to collide into something headlong.

Or, as she found out rather quickly, a someONE. How did she know this without looking? The 'thing' she ran into had latched a hand onto her arm almost immediately. She looked up (after yet another collision) to find that she had run into the youkai with bat wings and the 'funky' hat from the night before. And she said so.

"Hey, it's you with the funky hat from yesterday!" Kagome said, rather loudly. Kuronue stared in shock for a moment, then realized what she had said and proceeded to look hurt.

"My hat is NOT…'funky'!" he retorted. He folded his arms across his chest and turned his head away. "It's quite stylish."

Kagome couldn't help to laugh a little at this. The hat looked like a witch's hat that had had about half of the top torn off, and not very well. It was ragged where it had been 'torn' off, and there was a mini belt-like strap along the base of the hat, buckle and all.

"Don't try to argue with Kuronue on the subject of his hat. He loves the thing to death."

Kagome jumped at the voice and Kuronue frowned a bit, but before he could speak, the angry mob of bandits who'd been chasing Kagome came 'round the corner, panting heavily from the long and frustrating chase that said girl had led.

Kurama smirked and raised an eyebrow at this. "What's the trouble now?"

Still panting, the youkai replied in between breaths "THAT woman –huff- there, -huff huff-" pointing at Kagome, who seemed to have forgotten that she was being chased, was now quite alarmed.

Taking another glance at Kurama and Kuronue and realizing they were the leaders of these thieves, she took the opportunity to back away slowly…

"Hm?" Kurama looked back toward Kagome, who froze. He looked at Kagome curiously. "Wh--" He was cut off as Kagome took off again.

The youkai made to chase after the new demoness again, but was stopped by Kurama. "Leave her. I'll take care of her this time." And disappeared. The youkai looked to Kuronue, who shrugged, turned, and left to the dining hall.

ooOOOOOoooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOoooooOOOO

Kagome continued running until she was out of breath. She looked behind her, and saw that she wasn't being pursued any longer. Not willing to stay in one spot in case they decided to come after her again, she started walking.

Eventually, she noticed that the tunnel she was walking through was sloping down, exactly the opposite way she wanted to be going. Turning to leave, she noticed a sweet fragrance in the air. As she looked down the tunnel she'd been traveling, she noticed the smell got stronger, and decided to continue to investigate.

Nearing the end, a light began to shine. Walking into the room, she let her eyes adjust to the light. Looking around, she saw a beautiful garden, lit by a bright fungus that was glowing along the walls and ceiling which gave off a surprisingly bright and similar glow to the sun.

Suddenly, Kagome heard the sound of water further in. She continued through the garden, and came to a small lake that had water flowing in and out of it by streams to be carried throughout the garden.

By now, her feet were aching from running almost all day, so she took her shoes off to rest them in the lake. Sitting at the edge and leaning against a rock, she began to fall asleep, until she noticed movement. Looking around warily, she felt something creep around her arm. Looking down, she stared at a plant that was…moving…but strangely enough, she didn't feel scared that she was being…'captured' by a plant. Instead she began to pet and sing to it. The plant, who seemed to like the attention, wrapped itself loosely around her shoulders like a scarf, and began to sway back and forth.

And this was the scene Kurama came upon when he'd finally traced her scent to his private garden.

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**-sigh- short, I know. I'm suffering from writer's AND artist's block --;**

**Expect the next update to be late since I have finals till the last 2 days of school… sorry for making everyone wait then giving you this crappy chapter.**


	5. A rough start

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and even those who just took the time to read my story! I'm really sorry for the lateness! I was swamped with schoolwork, and tried to get some relaxation time in in the time I wasn't...here's chapter 5!**

Legend: "talk"

'_thought'_

_::::::::::::time change/spacers::::::::::::::_

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Chaptre 5 A Rough Start

**RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP**

Looking down, she stared at a plant that was…moving…but strangely enough, she didn't feel scared that she was being…accosted by a plant. Instead she began to pet and sing to it. The plant, who seemed to like the attention, wrapped itself loosely around her shoulders like a scarf, and began to sway back and forth.

And this was the scene Kurama came upon when he'd finally traced her scent to his private garden.

**RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP RecaP**

Kurama sighed in frustration when he had turned the entire hideout upside down searching for that attractive yet at the moment damnable woman who he had 'charmed' at the Solstice Festival just a night ago.

As he made his way to the only place he hadn't looked. Yet as he thought about it, it was one of the first places he _should_ have looked, because it seemed from what he'd seen, that she had a knack of finding places that _normal_ people wouldn't. And in no way, could this girl be described as normal.

As he walked on towards his garden, he began to pick up a faint scent of fresh rain and sakura blossoms that grew stronger with each step. _'The scent of that girl...'_ he thought, hurrying onwards.

When he finally reached the garden, he heard the sound of her voice drifting in song from somewhere near the lake. (A/N: Yes, lake. Let's just say it's a very large garden. xD)

Drawing closer, he saw Kagome's form leaning against a tree with her eyes closed, singing to one of his plants and giving it a pat every now and then. It had wrapped itself around her arm and shoulders, swaying to match the rhythm of her song, basking in the attention it was receiving. Kurama looked on in amazement that this girl had managed to calm one of the more unruly plants that even he couldn't get to obey him without some trouble.

But this girl…what was her name? Ah, Kagome. Kagome had the plant, quite literally, wrapped around her fingers. He shook himself from his thoughts, hearing her song come to an end, and walked quietly up to her, and leaned against her tree with one arm.

Kagome stiffened and opened her eyes, feeling a presence settle next to her. She turned her head to find that silver-haired kitsune youkai from before…Kurama, was hovering over her, watching her curiously before gracefully plopping down on the grass next to her.

"How did you do that?" he asked, looking from her, to the plant, then back again.

"Eh…do what?" then seeing his inquiring gaze toward the plant, she said "Oh. I'm not sure. I thought it was just naturally friendly." laughing slightly when the plant nuzzled her. Kurama just continued to observe them.

"So, this is what you meant then?" her voice making him look up again.

"Hm? What I meant?" He looked confused for a moment.

"At the festival," she clarified "you said you and your chimera friend were partners. You two run this place, you're thieves aren't you?"

"That's right! The best you'll find anywhere!" He grinned, looking very proud of himself.

Kagome gave a small smile at this. Seeing this, Kurama's grin also widened. Then, for a split second, an image of Inuyasha replaced that of Kurama's. Her eyes widened, smile falling from her face.

"Inuyasha…?" she whispered, hesitantly.

Kurama looked around, confused. "Who's this Inuyasha?" He asked, with a touch of jealousy in his voice. Kagome blinked, and the image of the hanyou disappeared, leaving the silver kitsune once again standing before her. She kept her eyes lowered for a moment before raising them to meet his once again with a weary smile.

" Oh. No one really. Just…someone I thought I knew once. But…" she looked around a moment. "I don't suppose you could show me the way back outside? It should be morning by now." She let out a yawn nearing the end of her sentence.

"I could, but I won't."

Kagome snapped her head up to look at him from her drowsing state in surprise. "What? Why not?"

Kurama raised an eyebrow "You haven't slept in how long? Looks like at least two days. I think you should stay here." He grinned, causing Kagome to give him a weird look.

"Why are you so bent on having me stay here?" Realization dawned on her. "I get it now! You were gonna do something to me while I was asleep, weren't you?!" she exclaimed fuming. Kurama looked vaguely surprised.

"No, actually, I hadn't thought of that till you just said it." Then noticing the look on her face, he quickly amended "But I have a higher sense of honor then that!"

"Oh? And how much honor, exactly, can a thief HAVE?" She asked dryly.

"Hey! I'll have you know I—"

"Aaaanndd we're done here children." interrupted a new voice. Kind of. Kuronue had come to find Kurama, and hopefully their new guest, and he succeeded. The scene would have been great, if it wasn't being wrecked by those two children squabbling amongst themselves about who knows what. Talk about a rough start…

Looking to Kurama, he said "The boys are getting anxious about our job tonight, and they're trying to drink it off, so unless you want them complaining about hangovers through the job later, I suggest you go stop them."

"Damn those idiots!" he exclaimed, rushing off, leaving Kagome with Kuronue.

"…Well, I suppose Kurama wants to keep you around for a reason," he mused. Then noting her beginning to nod off, continued a little more loudly "so if you'll follow me, I'll lead you to a spare room, and the baths."

Perking up at this, Kagome jumped up, and hobbled along after him on her leg which had fallen asleep from being folded under her weight for so long. Kuronue glanced back and gave a short, low laugh as he continued on with a small smile of amusement on his face.

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**Okay, some short, bad stuff huh? I hate my IB classes TT.TT really sorry for the uber late update guys! I hope I'll be able to write more!! PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEEE :cries:**


	6. the incident

**Heh…sorry about the unplanned hiatus guys –sweat- IMPORTANT THINGS AT THE BOTTOM!**

Legend: "talk"

'_thought'_

Chaptre 6(**The Incident**)

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**Last time…**

Kagome jumped up, and hobbled along after him on her leg which had fallen asleep from being folded under her weight for so long. Kuronue glanced back and gave a short, low laugh as he continued on with a small smile of amusement on his face.

**Now…**

After showing Kagome to the baths and finding her a set of extra clothes, Kuronue decided he should see how the rest of the gang was fairing. Upon entering the commons, he found Kurama, who was currently telling off a semi-drunken mob of demons.

As he entered, Kurama turned to face him.

"Kuronue! Finally some backup." His look of exasperation turned into a pained one as he grasped at his head near his temple. "Uhn. Kuro, try and get them calmed down and at least somewhat sober for me while I try and get rid of this headache will you? I'll be down at the springs if you need me…" Making a move to leave, he suddenly stopped when he reached the door, then promptly turned back to grab a bottle of wine sitting on the table, and proceeded out the door.

Kuronue shook his head and did something that had become very common for him these days—sighed. Turning back to the demons, he attempted to get their attention.

"Alright you lot. Out and to your rooms!" When this seemingly had no effect, he opted for a new tactic.

"Get yourselves cleaned up and sober, or I'll cancel tonight's job!" he threatened. This seemed to work, as everyone immediately froze and made a mad dash for their rooms and the springs to wash off the alcohol, abandoning their precious wine.

Kuronue rolled his eyes and chuckled, then stopped as he realized two things. One: that Kurama was down there with a headache, and was now probably tipsy. This did not make for a good scenario as he was prone to becoming slightly…violent, when he had headaches, and two: that those springs he had just directed a bunch of random MALE demons plus Kurama (which was worse then all of them put together) to Kagome. Bathing. Naked.

"…"

He shrugged and began making his way to his own room to take a quick nap. Oh well, not his problem.

oooooOMGSPACERooooo

Meanwhile, Kagome was exploring the large ballroom-size cavern that Kuronue had led her to. There were four hot springs, ranging in heat and size on one end, complete with some baskets next to each containing what she gathered to be soaps. On the other, there was a mini waterfall of warm water along the whole length of one wall, for showering and rinsing, she presumed.

Suddenly, she froze as she heard a groan and some heavy footfalls accompanied by the faint scent of alcohol. Turning to the entrance she saw Kurama stumble a little as he entered the room, rather gracefully for a drunk.

'_Geez, does this guy always have to be so graceful?'_ she wondered with some annoyance.

Righting himself, Kurama looked around. As his pain-filled eyes met that of Kagome's, she could see them brighten.

"Oh, it's my lovely rose!" he greeted her cheerfully,

"Don't call me that!" she fumed, but when he winced at a particularly sharp headache pang, her demeanor changed from angry to concerned at his pain and asked "Hey, are you okay? You were fine just a minute ago."

"Just a minor headache" he winced again "I'm fine, really. I just need to find that plant…where did I put that thing?" he cursed a little, searching through the silver strands of his hair for the right seed.

Kagome tilted her head curiously to the side watching him. _'For someone who's supposed to be a leader of a bunch of roughened up thieves, he sure is kind of…odd.' _(A/N: Ha! I bet you thought I was gonna put pretty or something, huh?)

"Well, while you're looking for that, can I go ahead and take my bath? She asked.

"Feel free" he replied, a little distractedly.

"Ok. Well, can you leave while I take my bath?" She asked.

Now turning to face her fully, he looked at her for a minute before saying "Why would I want to do that? I came here for a reason, you know." At the look on her face, he added "I'm no pervert-" which earned him a skeptical glance "-so I'll be using that spring over there." He pointed to the one a few feet over with his free hand.

Sighing, she replied "Fine. But if I catch you peeking--!" Kurama knew a threat when he saw one, and so, liking all his body parts where they currently were, he turned and continued searching for his plant.

Seeing that Kurama had his back turned, and wasn't likely to turn around in the next five seconds, Kagome quickly undressed and jumped in the spring. She lowered herself down into the spring up to her chin in the warm, relaxing water and closed here eyes.

"Aha! Found it."

Startled, Kagome's eyes flew open and turned to glare at Kurama who began to make his way to his claimed spring, but before he could take a step, the doors to the bath chamber were thrown open to let a hoard of demons stream through. As Kagome and Kurama were frozen in shock (A/N: poor Kagome seems to be getting a lot of that lately…), a few of the demons ran past Kurama and didn't seem to notice him as one bumped into him, knocking their leader into the spring with Kagome.

With a yelp and a splash, all the demons who were now currently in their own baths, turned to see their leader looking like a wet puppy with a forlorn expression on his face sprawled over the hanyou girl they had been chasing previously, except now, she was very wet, very naked, and she_ looked_ very angry. Huh.

* * *

**Haha, how's that? Short I know, and I'm sorry that this was all I gave you guys after such a long time. **

**Thanks again to all my reviewers! I've been getting a lot of positive reviews :) I'm beginning to run out of ideas though, so how about sending me a few ideas in your reviews? They would be very much appreciated!**

**NEXT TIME**

**After the bath incident, Kagome is clean and ready to go back to Sengoku Jidai to face her inner demons (or should I say hanyou?) and retrieve her son. The question is, will the well let her? Uh oh, looks like someone's a little too curious!**

**-grav**


	7. Knowing you

Before I start, I saw that one of you was confused about what kind of hanyou Kagome was. I believe I stated that in the first or second chapter, but to clarify, she is a kitsune(fox) hanyou. Boy, will Shippou be surprised:)

Okay, ready? Here we go again!!

* * *

**WARNING**:: slight and brief language in this chapter

* * *

Chaptre 7 (**Knowing You**)

* * *

**Last time…**

With a yelp and a splash, all the demons who were now currently in their own baths, turned to see their leader looking like a wet puppy with a forlorn expression on his face sprawled over the hanyou girl they had been chasing previously, except now, she was very wet, very naked, and she_ looked_ very angry. Huh.

**

* * *

**

**Now…**

Now feeling very clean and well-dressed, Kagome sighed to herself as she collapsed onto a sofa in a room she had walked into. After she had gotten over the initial shock of Kurama falling onto her in the hot springs, she had grabbed her towel and clothes, found a private place to redress herself, and fled the scene. Now that she had the time to think on it, anger and surprise seemed to be the two most common themes in her life these past few days. Apparently, it wasn't going to stop anytime soon and it was all thanks to that absurdly colored fox demon that she had accidentally, but somehow not quite regrettably, brought into her life. 

'_Aren't foxes supposed to be red?' _Kagome thought with some annoyance. She was still slightly embarrassed about having been seen naked by a group—an unknown group to make it worse—youkai.

'_But, then again, I've never heard of a silver dog either'_ she mused, an image of Sesshoumaru's vicious, snarling demon-dog form popping up in her head. She shuddered. _'Okay, we're gonna stop thinking about that…'_ Her eyes were half-lidded now, and drifting further and further closed with each passing second.

* * *

Feeling a bit put off at having been fled from by a female, Kurama made his way to his rooms. At the moment, he was debating on whether or not to attempt to find her once again, but decided against it, as the girl had already proven that _she_ had a knack for finding _him_, and figured he'd just try to win her over with his charm (A/N: -coughAPOLIGIZEcough-) when she did.

He entered his rooms and walked through the door on his left to his bedchamber where he proceeded to change into something that was loose and not so…drenched. Finding a pair of baggier and lengthier version of his usual white pants, he put them on and grabbed a navy blue sash with silver ripples designs near the end. He pulled on a haori of a slightly lighter shade of blue and half-heartedly tucked the ends in before loosely tying on his chosen sash.

As Kurama made his way back to his sitting room he had first walked into, he pulled his rapidly drying hair over his left shoulder and began to make a loose braid like he did every night before retiring. (1) He approached his large sofa chair, but stopped and stared at its occupant instead.

'_Somehow…I'm not surprised'_ he thought dryly. She had sprawled herself into a rather ungraceful and decidedly uncomfortable looking position, nearly half her body hanging off the end. Shaking his head, he decided that his bed was going to have a second occupant tonight and picked her up.

He had almost made it to his bed before he tripped over a wayward root from one of the many exotic plants that decorated and guarded his room, and fell forward.

Kagome

Kagome had been having a wonderful, dreamless rest. She was free, away from the troubles she had left behind in the Feudal Era, and away from her current troubles with the demon who reminded her so painfully of aforementioned trouble. Speaking of which…she supposed it was about time she went back and completed that cursed jewel. Then…then she wouldn't have to see Inuyasha and Kikyou ever again, _'and that'_, she thought, _'would make both parties happy.'_

As these somewhat sad thoughts were concluded, she was jolted awake by a sudden falling sensation, and something landing hard on top of her. She opened her eyes and saw Kurama sprawled over on top of her, looking like he had just fallen. Looking a little past him, she saw the guilty root, and decided to forgive him, but not without a little hardship. Just a little.

"..You really seem to like doing this kind of thing, don't you?" At the sound of her voice, Kurama sat bolt upright with a slightly flushed face; he hadn't meant that to happen, really he didn't! "Well it wasn't my fault.." all she gave him in return was "…" and a skeptically raised eyebrow.

Kurama gave a mental sigh. He really _**had**_ had enough of this. Changing his demeanor, he closed his eyes halfway, and pinned her by her arms to the bed. "Like I said…it wasn't my fault, but…" he lowered his face closer to hers to be a few inches away and was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath "whether or not I like doing this, is another story, little vixen." He leaned in further, minimizing the gap further. To his private amusement, she now had her eyes closed tightly, with her face scrunched up cutely. His lips continued their descent, and he gave her a small kiss to the tip of her nose.

Giving a startled squeak, Kagome looked at Kurama, who had now leaned back and was giving her a look of mild amusement. To cover up her embarrassment, she gave him a swift whack to his head, after which he cursed, and she laughed. Until she heard what he was saying. "Goddamit, what the hell was that for woman?!" Her smile faded, and her look turned sad. She was once more reminded of that which she had left behind, and sadly, she missed it. Her life back in the Feudal Era, with her sister Sango, her dear friend Miroku, and Shippou, her kit, and although she didn't want to admit it, she missed the gruff hanyou Inuyasha too.

Kurama looked to Kagome to see what had quieted her joyful laughter, and found her looking sad and thoughtful once more. "…Kagome?" She raised her head a little, enough for him to see that her eyes had tears welled up in them. "If it was my language…I apologize. I forget I am in the presence of a lady…" He was at a loss when this only caused the tears that had welled up in her eyes to begin their descent and she turned her head down again. Never had he had to comfort a _crying _woman before. Just as he was about to try again, she spoke "It's not you…not your fault."

She made eye contact this time, and gave him a little smile. "It's not your fault. I was just reminded then of a person who was once precious to me back where I came from." Kurama looked at her, his curiosity now piqued. "'Once precious'? Why? Aren't they still? Now that I come to think of it…I've never seen you around these parts before. What's your story?" "It's hard to explain Kurama…but here…that precious person… I loved him, but I guess he didn't return my feelings. It wouldn't have been so hard to accept if he had told me from the start he couldn't love me, but he just took my affections and didn't do anything with them. I couldn't know if he accepted or rejected them. It's been three years now, and he hasn't said anything, but I saw him with her this time, and she convinced him to kill me for her…and then a youkai started chasing me, I fell down a well, met you, parted, then accidentally found you again."

She shrugged "That'll have to tide you over. I'm not really interested in telling you everything else, since I'll be leaving soon to go back anyways. In fact, I think tomorrow morning is good…" Kurama's face showed no change from the blank thoughtfulness he wore. "Hm. I don't believe that will work." When he was met with her questioning gaze, he elaborated "Frankly, I find the thought of having you leave very distasteful," Her gaze turned suspicious "and so I shall accompany you. That way you may finish your business, and I can be assured of your return so we may get to know each other better."

About to protest, she stopped. _'Well, I suppose that way…'_ she made her mind up. "Actually, Kurama…I think I'd like that. But I'll only accept if you let me bring someone with me." He was a bit shocked at her easy admission; he had expected more of a protest from this strong-willed vixen "Of course. I don't mind that at all." She gave him a grateful smile as her eyelids began to droop. Her last two words were so quiet that Kurama had to strain with his demonic hearing to understand them "Thank you"

He gazed at her now still form bathed in the moon-like light from the fireglow plant, sleeping once more. He shook his head, and gave a wry grin, tucking her under the covers of his bed before burrowing himself into the bed close to her as well. The last thing he saw that night as he fell asleep was her raven hair and the soft curves of her face.

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**Okay guys, sorry for the wait again! I got you a longer chapter this time around though, so hopefully that makes up for it...aww who am I kidding...**

**NEXT TIME: Kagome goes back to the Feudal Era! That situation explains itself!!**


	8. Makin' My Way

Notes will now be at the end!! :) onwards!

Chaptre 8 (**Makin' My Way…**)

**Last time…**

About to protest, she stopped. _'Well, I suppose that way…'_ she made her mind up. "Actually, Kurama…I think I'd like that. But I'll only accept if you let me bring someone with me." He was a bit shocked at her easy admission; he had expected more of a protest from this strong-willed vixen "Of course. I don't mind that at all." She gave him a grateful smile as her eyelids began to droop. Her last two words were so quiet that Kurama had to strain with his demonic hearing to understand them "Thank you"

He gazed at her now still form bathed in the moon-like light from the fireglow plant, sleeping once more. He shook his head, and gave a wry grin, tucking her under the covers of his bed before burrowing himself into the bed close to her as well. The last thing he saw that night as he fell asleep was her raven hair and the soft contours of her face.

**Now…**

Kagome woke up early the next morning. She cracked open her eyes, and remembered that she was to go and see her friends again today. She gave a small smile and snuggled back into the covers for a moment to soak in that thought. Feeling a foreign warmth next to her, she turned to see Kurama lying on his side towards her, an arm loosely draped over her.

Remembering the night before, she allowed it. Her eyes skimmed over him, and noticed his braided hair before turning her attention to his ears. Of course.

Mentally sighing at her own inability to resist those fuzzy appendages, she succumbed to the urge to pet them. As she placed the tips of her fingers on his ears, she held her breath as Kurama scrunched his eyes for a brief second and twitched his ears before relaxing into sleep once again. Exhaling her held breath, she gave his ears a few strokes before becoming distracted by his face. Her fingers trailed down to trace his high cheekbones and she examined his jaw line, drained of all the baby fat that would have given him a cute boyish look, leaving only smooth, taut skin beneath her gaze. Her eyes fell on his braid again and idly wondered how he managed to keep it as if he'd just fixed it. She dismissed it and instead grabbed the end of his braid to play with the hair that was left loose at the end.

She was so absorbed that she didn't notice he had awakened.

"Good morning" Kagome's wide eyes snapped up to meet his in surprise.

"Ah…" was all Kagome managed. Kurama gave a chuckle and tried again.

"Good morning…" he repeated, a little slower this time with a smile playing on his lips and a look of teasing in his eyes. He was rewarded with a murmured "Good morning".

A true smile was on his face now, and they exchanged gazes for a moment more before Kurama got up and pulled a reluctant Kagome with him.

"Come on. We've got to get an early start if you want to have time to spend with your friends once we arrive." He appealed to her. At the mention of seeing her friends again, she was wide awake and jumped up to go change out the clothes she was given last night and into another set of clothes Kurama gave her, as hers had been slightly torn during the fiasco yesterday.

While Kagome had run into the adjoining room to change after reassurance from Kurama that he wouldn't peek (there was no door to separate the rooms), Kurama himself had taken the time to change out of his sleeping garments as well. He chose another white haori with a lightened blue river pattern trimming the loose sleeves that ended just above his elbows and tucked the ends of the haori into a pair white hakama, similar to the ones he'd worn to bed the night before, but less loose so as not to hinder movement. He kept them in place with a matching blue sash that faded into a white leaf pattern at the ends, and instead of the usual knot, he tied a small bow in the front, and finished off his ensemble with his usual white Chinese flats.

He had just finished and was reaching back to pull his braid forward so he could take out the tie. His hand stopped as Kagome walked in, with a sureness that surprised him. He had given her an indigo kimono with small plum and pink butterfly patterns on her sleeves and a couple near the right neckline, but it was only mid-thigh. Granted, there was a pair of knee-length tight black shorts that went underneath to preserve modesty and allow movement, but still, most women would have protested at having to wear such 'revealing' garb. The kimono had been tied closed with an obi that matched Kurama's but faded plum to blue instead of blue to white. Her hair had been tied near the ends with a silk ribbon, leaving it to flow down to her waist. He gave her a look before looking to find the tie of his braid again.

"I would have given you a proper kimono, but I'm afraid I didn't have one on hand that would fit you", He said.

"Oh, no, this is fine!" she reassured, and at his curious glance, she explained, "I used to have a set of clothes with a dress that was about this length, but it didn't even have these leggings to go underneath", she gave them a pluck to emphasize her words. "Besides, this is probably more practical; full kimonos aren't very well suited to travel and they hinder movement, but this allows me to move more freely, I think. Thank you for these, by the way", she gestured.

"Of course, now, shall we be going?" he offered, and began to lead the way through the maze of tunnels that would lead to the light.

Shippou sighed as he pushed through the thick bushes of the western forest. Not that he knew where he was.

It had been about three days since he had left Sango, Miroku and Kirara, and most importantly, the mutt that had hurt his kind-hearted mother. Contrary to the others' beliefs, he wasn't childish or oblivious; he was rather observant for a kit. He knew what had happened. He had evidence in the scent Inuyasha carried when he returned, no matter that he had either tried to be considerate, or conniving enough to try and wash it off before he returned to camp.

He had set off just before dawn two days after Kagome had left them, and had begun wandering towards the general direction of the village. Unfortunately, his stature was still rather…lacking, therefore in addition to making slow progress, he was also attracting unwanted attention. This was proved just last night when he was rudely awakened by something shaking his tree, trying to knock him off his perch, no doubt it wanted to eat him.

Now, Shippou had had a very trying day, trying to wade through undergrowth and streams that were deeper than he was tall, and he was exhausted. He'd barely made it up to his perch before he'd blacked out, and all he wanted to do was _**sleep **_so that he could find _**his**_ Kagome, but _**noooo**_. This jerk had to come wake him up, and now Shippou was angry. He proceeded to give the—was that a wolf?—wolf, a taste of his foxfire technique that he had been practicing when no one was looking in hopes of surprising his mother.

He missed with his first shot, and was answered with a snarl and renewed efforts to knock him off his perch, but his second was a direct hit, and the flame quickly engulfed the unfortunate wolf. While the wolf yelped and rolled itself along the dirt trying to put out the fire on its coat, Shippou made quick progress through the trees and managed to get through to Inuyasha's Forest, which brought him to where he was now. Wading once more through the bushes that were _still_ taller than him dammit!

"The one part I hate about being a fox is that we grow so slow..!" he grumbled, but proceeded to shove his way through.

"…"

"…"

"…Err…what are you doing Kagome?"

They had arrived at the well about five minutes ago, and along the way, Kagome had discovered that she was fast. Very fast. Or at least, more so than she had been, and she had been overjoyed to find that she, too, could now make great leaps through trees. Kurama, amused, had merely stayed alongside here, making no comment and pulling her upright the few times she had nearly landed a face plant.

Now, she was walking around the well, eyeing it suspiciously, looking over the rim and sniffing. At his question, she turned to look at him incredulously.

"Do you _know_ what this thing has put me through?" She pointed accusingly at the offending well, which…was sitting there rather innocently, in Kurama's opinion. "If I didn't know better I'd say it's downright malevolent!" She began to mock it, "'Oh, let's send Kagome here!', 'Hmm I don't feel like letting Kagome go home today,' and sometimes when it's feeling sadistic, it decides that 'It would be funny if poor Kagome lands on her head!' Hmph!" she gave it a good kick before turning back to Kurama.

Seeing him twitch at her behavior, Kagome smiled to herself and grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the well. At his raised eyebrow, she gave him a weird look before saying, "We have to be touching, or else it won't let you through."

"Yes…but why the odd look?" he pretended to look offended.

She laughed, "No, you just reminded me of someone back where I came from, no worries. Now let's go! I'm excited to see Shippou again." She jumped in, forcing Kurama to jump with her, lest he suffer the indignity of being dragged through.

**To the readers:** Sorry for the super long wait! I started university, got a job, and started my own story with all my own characters and everything! So, super busy. In addition, I haven't really been feeling his story lately, and the lack of feedback/ideas for the future of the story is kind of adding to it…I honestly don't know how often I'll be able to update anymore, but I thank those of you who are still reading this for your continued support!


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